Modular display rack

ABSTRACT

The display rack of the present invention includes a main frame, at least two shelf receiving portions, a plurality of shelves and at least one basket, peg hook basket or reel assembly. The main frame has a back portion and side portions. Each shelf receiving portion is attached to the main frame and has a plurality of generally vertically spaced apart shelf receiving apertures formed therein. Each shelf has spaced apart shelf fingers adapted to be received in the shelf receiving apertures. The plurality of shelves is chosen from the group consisting of shelf basket racks and shelf reel racks. In another aspect of the invention there is provided a web basket for use in association with hanging products. The web basket includes a hook portion, a basket portion and a means for attaching the basket to a shelf. The basket portion is spaced below the hook portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This patent application relates to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/680,486 filed on May 13, 2005 entitled Modular Display Rack which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to display racks and in particular modular display racks for use in association with reeled products, hanging products and other hardware products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that in retail establishments there is an ongoing challenge to display a variety of different products in a system that is easy to use and will accommodate a wide variety of products. Prior art display racks tend to be designed for use with products of similar sizes. As well, the prior art display racks tend to be for use with only one type of shelving.

An example of a prior art display rack is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,037 issued Dec. 30, 2003 to Ahn. This patent shows a modular display rack which includes a triple ladder type configuration with each ladder having a support base pivotally attached thereto. A variety of different type of brackets and shelves may be attached between the ladders. However, the type of brackets and shelves used is limited to those that can be attached between the ladders. U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,484 issued May 4, 2004 to Sparkowski is another example of multi-position display racks. This display rack has adjustable shelves but the width of each shelf is determined by the spacing between the upright supports. Therefore although it provides some adjustability there are severe limitations in the type of adjustments that are available. Many of the existing prior art racks are essentially single purpose racks that have a specific application. An example of this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,355 issued Jul. 6, 2004 to Zidek. This rack includes a base with an upright that supports a crosspiece. One or more shelves are attached to the crosspiece. This support is limited to a specific purpose and type of shelf and cannot be easily adjusted for use with a variety of types of shelves and for use with a variety of products.

Accordingly it would be advantageous to provide a display rack that can be used with products of a variety of different sizes. Further it would be advantageous to provide a display rack that could be used with products in boxes as well as on reels. In addition it would be useful to provide a display rack that could also be used with products that are in packages but hangs on hooks. Still further it would advantageous if such a display was modular and thus the size could change as needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a modular display rack for use in association with products. The display rack includes a main frame, at least two shelf receiving portions, a plurality of shelves and/or at least one basket, peg hook basket and/or reel assembly. The main frame has a back portion and side portions. Each shelf receiving portion is attached to the main frame and has a plurality of generally vertically spaced apart shelf receiving apertures formed therein. Each shelf has spaced apart shelf fingers adapted to be received in the shelf receiving apertures. The plurality of shelves are chosen from the group consisting of shelf basket racks and shelf reel racks.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a web basket for use in association with hanging products. The web basket includes a hook portion, a basket portion and a means for attaching the basket to a shelf. The basket portion is spaced below the hook portion.

Further features of the invention will be described or will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the display rack of the present invention shown with stock therein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display rack similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but showing the display rack empty;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main frame of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the main frame of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the main frame of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the main frame of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the header module of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the foot module of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the shelf basket rack of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the shallow shelf reel rack of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is perspective view of the deep shelf reel rack of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the large basket of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is perspective view of the medium basket of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is perspective view of the small basket of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the peg hook basket of the display rack of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a side view of the peg hook basket of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a front view of the peg hook basket of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a top view of the peg hook basket of FIG. 15;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the right and left reel assembly of the display rack of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the display rack of the present invention is shown generally at 10. The display rack 10 includes a main frame 12, a header module 14, a foot module 16, and a plurality of different and interchangeable shelf racks and baskets and reels that are attached thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, the main frame 12 includes a back portion 18 and side portions 20. The width of the each portion may vary depending on the needs of the retail establishment. Further the number of sections that are used may vary depending on the particular use. Each back portion 18 has a left back support 22 and a right back support 24. In addition, if required there is also a middle back support 26. The left and right back supports 22 and 24 each include one elongate shelf receiving portion 28 and the middle back support 26 has two shelf receiving portions 28. Shelf receiving portions 28 are generally vertical and have a plurality of spaced apart shelf apertures 30. The back portion 18 and side portions 20 are made from generally square tubular hollow members. Legs 34 that extend downwardly from the back and side portions, 18 and 20. The legs 34 have slightly smaller dimensions than those of the back and side portions so that they can snugly fit into the square tubular hollow sections and allow for stacking as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 where a tall section 38 is fit into a short section 36. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art the main frame 12 can be easily assembled and the configuration of the main frame 12 can be readily changed.

Preferably, the main frame 12 will be in 4 foot linear segments and can increase in height by factors of two feet. Specifically the tall sections 38 are 4 feet tall and the short sections 36 are 2 feet tall.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the display rack 12 may include a header module 14. The header module 14 includes an inclined portion 40 that is outwardly from the main frame 12. The header module 14 has header legs 42 that fit into the front tubular square hollow sections of the side portions 20. The inclined portion 40 is particularly suited for signage.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 8, the display rack 12 may include a foot module 16. The foot module 16 has a base portion 44 and a leg receiving portion 48. The legs 34 of the main frame 12 are received in the leg receiving portions 48 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A plurality of different and interchangeable shelf racks and baskets and reels are attachable to the main frame 12. Shelf basket rack is shown generally at 50 in FIG. 9. Shelf basket rack 50 has a shelf side portion 52 with a plurality of support fingers 54. Support fingers 54 are received in the shelf receiving portions 28. Extending between the shelf side portions 52 are a front rail 56 and a back rail 58. Back rail 58 has a plurality of spaced apart basket apertures 60. Shelf basket rack 50 is for use with baskets of various width, small 62, medium, 64 and large 66 baskets, as well as peg hook basket 68 (shown in FIGS. 14, 13, 12 and 15, respectively are by way of example only). It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the spacing between the basket fingers 88 is a multiple of the spacing between the basket apertures 60 as is described in more detail below. Thus the width of the baskets may vary as require by the user. Shelf basket rack 50 is angled downwardly as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 so that product will be positioned snugly up against the front of the baskets. Shallow shelf reel rack 70 and deep reel rack 72 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 respectively are similar to shelf basket rack 50. Each rack has shelf side portions 52 and a plurality of support fingers 54. Each rack has a reel rail 74 extending between shelf side portions 52. Reel rail 74 has slightly larger dimensions than front rail 56 and reel rail 74 is for use with right 76 and left reel 78 assembly shown in FIG. 19. Reeled assembly may be used with a wide variety of reeled products such as chain, electrical wire, cabling and rope.

Large 66, medium 64 and small 62 baskets are shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 respectively. Each basket is a generally open wire basket with a bottom portion 80 and side portions 82. The bottom portion 80 is generally U-shaped with a front lip 84. The side portions 82 are generally rectangular with bent sides. A face plate 86 is attached to the front lip 84 and signage 86 may be attached thereto. The bottom portion 80 has basket finger 88 on each side thereof for engaging the basket apertures 60.

Referring to FIGS. 15 to 18, peg hook basket 68 is an open wire basket which includes a hook portion 90 and a basket portion 92. Hook potion 90 is spaced above the basket portion 92 and is for use with hanging products. Hook portion 90 has a front lip 94 to reduce the likelihood of the product sliding off. Signage 96 may be attached to the front of the basket portion 92. Peg hook baskets 68 are attached to the shelf basket rack 50 with a back hook 98 and a front stopper 100.

Right 76 and left reel 78 assemblies are shown in FIG. 19. Each reel assembly includes a hook portion 102, a shaft portion 104 and a stopper 106. In position bulk reeled material is positioned over the left and right reel assembly and hung over reel rail 74 of either shallow 70 or deep 72 shelf reel racks. A reel signage portion 105 may be attached to the front of the display rack 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Signage portion 106 may include sliding face plates 108 and grommets 110 for keeping the end of the tidy while on display.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the plurality of shelf apertures 30 have a predetermined spacing therebetween. The support fingers 54 have the same spacing therebetween. Thus the positioning of the shelf may vary along the shelf receiving portion as determined by the user. Similarly the plurality of basket apertures 60 have predetermined spacing therebetween and the spacing between the basket fingers 88 is a multiple of the spacing between the basket apertures 60. Thus a wide variety of sizes of baskets may be used.

There are a number of advantages of the display rack 10 of the present invention. Specifically, the shelf basket rack 50 and the shallow 70 and deep 72 shelf reel racks may be hooked into the main frame 12 at any height. The shelf basket racks 50 are angled to allow product to gravity feed to the front of the shelf. Peg hook baskets 68 allow the hung pegged product to be gravity fed. Product is neatly held in line by lower basket portion 92 and minimizes the chance of the hung product from being pushed out of line. Shelf basket face plate 86 is generally vertical for ease of reading. The header portion 14 keeps signage tight to the rack for ease of shopping. Sliding face plate 108 with grommet 110 keeps ends of reeled product neat. Individual left 78 and right 76 bulk reel holders allow reels to be changed individually since there is no common axle for two or more reels. The display rack 10 of the present invention will fit in warehouse store format (i.e. Home Depot) and gondola store format (i.e. Fred Meyer).

As used herein, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed as being inclusive and opened rather than exclusive. Specifically, when used in this specification including the claims, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or components are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

It will be appreciated that the above description is related to the invention by way of example only. Many variations on the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and such obvious variations are within the scope of the invention as described herein whether or not expressly described. 

1. A modular display rack for use in association with products comprises: a main frame having a back portion and side portions; at least two shelf receiving portions having a plurality of generally vertically spaced apart shelf receiving apertures formed therein, each shelf receiving portion being attached to the main frame; a plurality of shelves having spaced apart shelf fingers adapted to be received in the shelf receiving apertures and wherein the plurality of shelves are chosen from a group consisting of shelf basket racks and shelf reel racks; and a plurality of at least one device chosen from a group consisting of baskets, peg hook baskets and reel assemblies.
 2. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shelves include at least one shelf basket rack and at least one shelf reel rack and the modular display rack comprises a plurality of baskets, a plurality of peg hook baskets and a plurality of reel assemblies.
 3. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 2 wherein the shelf basket rack includes a pair of shelf side portions with a front rail and a back rail extending therebetween.
 4. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 3 wherein the back rail has a plurality of spaced apart basket apertures and wherein each basket has at least a pair of basket fingers adapted to be engaged in the basket apertures.
 5. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 4 wherein the spaced apart basket apertures have a predetermined spacing and the spacing of the basket fingers is a multiple of the predetermined spacing between the basket apertures.
 6. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plurality of baskets are chosen from a group consisting of large, medium and small baskets.
 7. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 6 wherein each basket includes a face plate for receiving signage.
 8. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 3 wherein each peg hook basket has a back hook adapted to hook onto the back rail of the shelf basket rack and a front stopper adapted to engage the front rail of the shelf basket rack.
 9. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 8 wherein the peg hook basket has a hook portion spaced above a basket portion.
 10. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 9 wherein the basket portion further includes a face plate.
 11. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 1 further including a header module attachable to the top of the main frame.
 12. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 11 further including a foot module attachable to the bottom of the main frame.
 13. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 2 wherein the shelf reel rack includes a pair of shelf side portions with a reel rail extending therebetween and each reel assembly includes a right reel and a left reel assembly, each attachable to the reel rail.
 14. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 13 wherein each reel assembly includes a hook portion, a shaft portion and a stopper portion whereby the hook portion is hooked over the reel rail and the shaft portion is positioned in a bulk reel.
 15. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 14 further including a reel signage portion attachable to the main frame.
 16. A modular display rack as claimed in claim 15 wherein the reel signage portion includes a plurality of sliding face plates and a plurality of grommets.
 17. An open web basket for use in association with hanging products comprising: a hook portion; a basket portion spaced below the hook portion; and a means for attaching the basket to a shelf.
 18. An open web basket as claimed in claim 17 further including a face plate attached to the basket portion.
 19. An open web basket as claimed in claim 18 wherein the attaching means includes a back hook attachable to a back rail of the shelf and a front stopper engagable with a front rail of the shelf.
 20. A reel assembly for use with a display rack having a reel rail and for hanging reeled product comprising: a right reel assembly attachable to the reel rail, a left reel assembly attachable to the reel rail, and wherein the right reel assembly and the left reel assembly is rotatably attachable to the reeled product on each side thereof.
 21. A reel assembly as claimed in claim 20 wherein each reel assembly includes a hook portion, a shaft portion and a stopper portion whereby the hook portion is hooked over the reel rail and the shaft portion is positioned in the reeled product.
 22. A reel assembly as claimed in claim 21 further including a reel signage portion attachable to the display rack.
 23. A reel assembly as claimed in claim 22 wherein the reel signage portion includes a plurality of sliding face plates and a plurality of grommets. 